"ORANGE MOON? DON'T KID!"

A couple of days back, I watched a programme on Animal Planet called MOONPOWER, on creatures using our natural satellite as a beacon to hunt, mate and migrate. Fantastic show, after which my stream of consciousness led me to dwell a bit on moon exploration by humans, rites and rituals as per our scriptures, poetry and more, until a fact hit me hard - it has been a while, a long while, since I saw the orange blob!

When I was four years old, for the first time, I saw a bright orange hue in the sky, and mistook the moon for the setting sun! Ever since I've been fascinated.

Over the last two years, on every visit to Bangalore, I'd observe an apparent elevation in the "horizon" caused by high-rise buildings. This is in fact a rather mild way of putting across the point that even a minute speck of the actual horizon is no longer visible and in the process, the orange blob has disappeared too, behind those skyscrappers. And for children, supper would have to wait an extra few minutes, before they crane their necks heavenwards to say "MOOOOON!" Sadly, my own house has contributed to this phenomenon.

I'm not going overboard here, but my kids might just ridicule my "imagination" if I ever told them of the red-orange moon.

There are of course two ways to prove its existence. One, chalk out a controlled city/town expansion and development programme. And as for the second, continue polluting the atmosphere at just this current rate, only thing - our children may not be alive to see the orange moon.

Couple of blogger awards have come my way! :) Presented to me by my cousin Aaarti! Thankies, gurl!! How about a moonlight dinner sometime? :)



Remember this pic? We shot the moon precariously through a four square centimetre grid! :D